Airborne In Your Pocket Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Basic Rules
  • Overview
  • Setup
• Turn Sequence
  • Outside
    • Finding a Flare
  • Inside
  • Red Alert
• Time Passes
• Combat
  • Weapon Jams
  • Varying Power
  • Being Wounded
• Resting
• Locations
• Items
• Events
• Winning and Losing the Game
• Notes & Tips
• Advanced Rules
  • Secondary Objectives
  • Special Operatives
  • Scenarios
• Optional Rules
  • Bunker Commanders
  • Rules to Make the Game Easier
  • Rules to Make the Game More Challenging
• Multiplayer Rules (2-4 players)
  • Setup
  • Game Play
  • Combat
    • Evading
  • Items
  • Watches "Out of Sync"
  • Moving Through Air Ducts (3-4 players only)
  • Secondary Objectives (Advanced Rules)
  • Scenarios

Basic Rules

Overview

During a typical game, you will need to find the Ammo Dump (to retrieve some Explosives) and enter the Bunker (via the Bunker Door). Once inside, your job will be to find the Gun Platform and sabotage it with the Explosives. Then, all you need to do is get out of the Bunker! On the way, you will encounter enemy soldiers and find some Items...

Setup

1. Put the Drop Zone location in front of you (this is your starting location) and place your figurine on it to represent you as you move from location to location. Put aside the Entrance location. Then shuffle all the Outside locations into one facedown pile, and all the Inside locations in another.
2. Shuffle all the Event Cards into a deck and discard the top 2 cards, facedown.
3. Note the starting time (0700, or 7 am) and your starting Health (6) on your Player Aid. Place the Item Card of your starting weapon (the Colt .45) in front of you.

Turn Sequence

Outside

You move along the dirt roads that lead to the Bunker.

1. From where you are standing, choose a road direction (if you are on the Drop Zone, that means forward, left or right). If, for some reason, you decide not to move, you will still have to draw an Event Card (see Step 5).

2. If the direction you have chosen leads to an unknown location, draw and place an Outside location. The road segment on the new location must connect to the location you are leaving (the roads may or may not connect to the other adjacent locations).

3. Move your figurine to your new location. You can only move 1 location at a time, vertically or horizontally (never diagonally).

4. Read the special text written on your location. This will usually affect the Event you are about to draw, or it might be an effect that kicks in after the Event, at the end of the turn.

5. Draw an Event Card (even if you have already visited this location, or if you have decided not to move). If there are no Event Cards left, see Time Passes. Now read the Outside Event written on the card (this is called Resolving an Event):

   • If the Event says you find/spot an Item, you may (if you want) draw the next Event Card and look at the bottom right corner of that card to see what Item you have found. Take the corresponding Item card as a reminder. If you choose not to draw a card, you do not get an Item. You can never carry more than 2 Items, in addition to your Colt Pistol. Some Events will tell you that you find a specific Item (like the Kar98k Rifle or a Stick Grenade). You do not need to draw an additional card in these cases, since the Item is already determined.
   • If the Event says you gain or lose Health, adjust your current Health (your Health can never go above 9 and you immediately die if it ever reaches 0).
   • If the Event mentions an Encounter, see Combat. You will notice some enemies (mainly SS Soldiers) have a special symbol beside them (called "Pouches"): this means that if you fight these enemies, you may search their bodies and retrieve an Item before the end of the turn (draw another Event Card to see what Item you have found). Evading combat (see Combat - Evade) does not entitle you to retrieve an Item this way.

Finding a Flare

If you have exhausted your pile of Outside locations, you will find, on the last location you place, a forgotten Flare, buried in the dirt. This Item is so small that it doesn't count toward your 2-Item limit (it is a Free Item, see Items). It can also be picked up by Special Operatives (see Advanced Rules), even the ones who are not allowed to pick up Items.

Inside

The only way to place Inside Locations is to enter the bunker through the Bunker Door. Once you are on the Bunker Door location, you can place the Entrance, lining up the arrows on both tiles (the Entrance is always put aside at the beginning of the game). To go from the Bunker Door to the Entrance, move normally, but remember that you are changing from being Outside to being Inside (and must therefore read your Event cards accordingly).

Once Inside, turns progress the same way as they do Outside, but instead of connecting roads, you must connect doors.

Red Alert

Once you have sabotaged the Guns in the Gun Platform, Red Alert is declared: from now on, you resolve Red Alert Events (whether you are Inside or Outside). Red Alert Events are very unforgiving, so be careful!

Time Passes

The game begins at 0700, as the Allied fleet engages the Germans and the Allied troops start landing. Every time you need to draw an Event Card and there are none left, 1 hour passes (note it on your Player Aid). Reshuffle the cards (including the top 2 discarded cards during setup), discard the top 2 cards facedown, and continue playing (if the last Event called for another card to be drawn, do it now). If you ever reach 1000, you have lost the game. You will therefore re-shuffle the Event Cards a maximum of 2 times per game.

Combat

In Airborne in My Pocket, you will meet 3 types of enemies:

• Infantrymen: The regular troops of the German Heer (Infantry). Tough and reliable, although often ill-equipped. (Although most Encounters with Infantrymen are straight up, they can sometimes surprise you.)
• SS Soldiers: The Waffen-SS, the fighting wing of the SS, have a solid reputation but very uneven results in the field. They do, however, have good equipment and excellent training. (When you defeat SS Soldiers, you always have the possibility of drawing an Item.)
• Paratroopers: The Fallschirmjäger, or Parachute Light Infantry, are part of the Luftwaffe (Air Force). These elite forces, entirely made of volunteers, are highly trained and very efficient in small tactics. (Paratroopers will often attack you in hand-to-hand combat, preventing you from Evading.)

Every weapon in the game has a Power rating (your starting Colt Pistol's Power is 1). The relative Power of weapons is based on their stopping power, rate of fire, accuracy, reload time, noise, recoil, availability of ammo, ease of use and other variables. As you pick up additional weapons during the game, your current Power score will go up (depending on the weapons you are carrying).

When faced with an Encounter, you have 2 options:

1. Fight: To resolve combat, subtract your current Power score from the total enemy units. You can choose which weapon or combination of weapons gives you the most Power according to the enemies you are facing. The difference is the Health you lose in defeating the enemy. Subtract these points from your total Health (your starting Health is 6, but the maximum is 9). When fighting, you can only use 1 weapon at a time (except Grenades, which can be combined with any weapon).

   (# of enemies) - (your current Power) = Health loss

2. Evade: To avoid fighting, you can run to a previously explored adjacent tile (using normal moving restrictions). This means any adjacent face-up location (even if you have not physically explored it). As you Evade combat, the enemy will have the chance to fire some shots at you: lose 1 Health. Do not draw an Event card for the location you run into. Evading combat can be very useful when trying to return to the Drop Zone on Red Alert.

Some Encounters and locations prevent Evading (as written on their respective text).

Note: If you Evade combat, the enemies you left behind do not stay in place. If you return later on that location, draw an Event Card as usual (if you draw an Encounter, treat it as if the enemy stayed in position and if you draw something else, the enemy has left to look for you elsewhere).

Important note: You can never lose more than 4 Health points in 1 combat, nor can you ever gain Health points as the result of a fight.

The moment your Health reaches 0, you die. You don't live long enough for end-of-turn effects (and Resting) to take place.

Note on finding Items on dead enemies: You have until the end of the turn to search the bodies for Items, and you must still be in the same location. For example, you are in the Gun Platform and have to resolve 2 Events (to sabotage the guns). You could defeat SS Soldiers on the first Event, which would give you the option to draw an Item. You would then have the choice to draw your Item immediately or wait until you have resolved the second Event to do so (if that second Event also contains an Item, you would then be allowed to draw 2 Items in a row).

Weapon Jams

Some weapons jam when used in certain situations (usually according to the color of the Event). When jamming occurs, a weapons becomes unusable (Power 0) for that Encounter only. Once the Encounter is resolved, the weapon is "fixed".

Varying Power

Some weapons have a Power rating that changes according to the Event's color, the enemy type or the location on which they are used.

Being Wounded

Some Encounters will cause you to become Wounded. This means you lose one of your arms and must carry 1 less Item (until the end of the game). If you are already carrying 2 Items when you are Wounded, you must immediately discard 1 Item of your choice. Free Items are not affected by this (you can carry as many as you want).

If you lose both arms during the same game, you won't be able to use any Items (even Free Items or your starting weapon) and you'll have Power 0. However, you will still be holding on to the Explosives and whatever special Items are necessary for your Secondary Objective or Scenario (see Advanced Rules). So even with both your arms lost, you can still complete your mission, but it won't be pretty...

Resting

Once the turn sequence is finished and before the next turn begins, you are allowed to catch your breath, regain your strength and tend to your wounds with makeshift bandages. This is called Resting and will restore up to 3 Health points. But it will make you lose precious time: you must discard 1 Event card (without resolving it).

You can Rest as often as you want, as long as it is between turns, and you can discard up to 3 cards at once if you wish (which should put you at maximum Health if you were at 1). Therefore, you cannot Rest before starting a game (by discarding the first card drawn), since you need to do it between turns.

Also, you cannot Rest between 2 actions (like moving and resolving an Event, or resolving a regular Event plus an extra Event), except where noted (in some Scenarios).

Locations

No two locations can ever occupy the same space. If you enter the Bunker, the new Inside locations you place must not overlap the Outside ones. This can and often will result in blocked roads or doors. It could also, theoretically, lead to an impasse inside the Bunker (due to Outside tiles blocking the way and some very unwise Bunker Door orientation). If this ever happens, you have entered the wrong Bunker and automatically lose the game (except in 3- or 4-player games, see Multiplayer Rules - Moving Through Air Ducts).

If, for any reason, there is a conflict between the special text of a location and an Event, the location has priority. And Special Operatives and Bunker Commanders (see Advanced Rules) have priority over locations.

Every location has a number. Across the various sets, all locations with the same number can be considered equivalent. Players can mix and match using locations from different sets, as long as they always play with a complete set (one location of each number, from 1 to 16).

Look at your Set Reference Book for a detailed description of the locations included in your set.

Items

In the Basic Rules, you start the game with 1 Item, your trusty Colt Pistol, but during the game, you are allowed to carry 2 additional Items. You can only carry 1 copy of each Item. If you happen to find a 3rd Item, you must drop one to pick it up. As long as you stay in the same location, your dropped Items are still there, but they will disappear (picked up by enemy soldiers) if you leave. If, for example, you are already carrying 2 Items and you find a Medical Kit, you are allowed to drop 1 Item, use the Medical Kit to gain 3 Health, and then retrieve the Item you just dropped.

Even if you can only carry 1 item (after Combat - Being Wounded), you are allowed to combine 2 Items as long as they are both in the same room.

Items can be used anytime with 2 exceptions: the Bronze Star Medal and any Health-giving Item (like the Medical Kit or the K-Ration). These must be used before drawing an Event Card or after resolving it. This means you cannot use the Medical Kit in the middle of combat (to prevent you from reaching 0 Health).

And always remember that you can only use 1 weapon at a time when fighting (except Grenades, which can be combined with any other weapon).

When you find an Item, take its corresponding Item card and place it in front of you, as a reminder.

Weapon Categories: All weapons have a category indicated on them (Handguns, Rifles, Machine Guns & Bombs). This information is useful only in specific situations (a Location, for example, may prevent players from using weapons from the "Bombs" category, or a Special Operative may not be allowed to use "Machine Guns"). Only Items that are weapons have categories: the others do not.

Free Items: These do not count toward your 2-Item limit and cannot be dropped or lost. In Advanced Rules and Scenarios, all starting weapons are considered Free Items.

Here are the Free Items used in the Basic Game:

• Colt M1911 .45 Pistol (Power 1): The standard sidearm for all US Armed Forces personnel. This is your starting weapon it is always at your side and does not count toward your 2-Item limit (it is a Free Item). The only way to lose it is by being Wounded twice (see Combat: Being Wounded).
• Explosives: Usually, the Explosives are found in the Ammo Dump (although they may be found elsewhere in some Scenarios).
• Flare: This 26.5 mm Leuchtpatrone (illumination cartridge) allows you to discard an Inside location just drawn (remove it from the game) and draw another one instead. Discard the Flare after 1 use.

Events

Event Cards have a lot of information on them.

First, on the top right corner, you will find a number in a colored circle. This is the Event's number, which will be used in Advanced Rules and Scenarios to determine certain things. The color can also determine many effects, from blast injuries to a Weapon Jam to a successful hit with a cannon (most of these effects can be found in the Advanced Rules). The circle's color gives its name to the Event, so when the circle is green, for example, the Event is considered a "Green Event" (many weapons have modifiers based on the color of the Event).

Then, you have the 3 "main" Event sections: each section has a header and some text. The header is determined by your location (when you are on an Outside location, you read Outside Events, and when you move Inside, you read Inside Events) or the condition (you must read Red Alert Events once Red Alert is declared, whether you are Inside or Outside). Encounters are clearly indicated.

And finally, on the bottom right corner, you have the description of an Item. When you are required to draw an Event card to determine what Item you find, this is where you look.

Most Events are self-explanatory. Refer to the appropriate Set Reference Book for more details on the Events included in your set.

Winning and Losing the Game

You lose the game when:

• You (or any other player) die in combat
• An Event, a location or any other game effect causes your Health to fall to 0
• You reach 1000 h (10:00 am).

You win the game when:

• You manage to stay alive after destroying the Guns and getting out of the Bunker. You need to end your turn on the Bunker Door (as a result of moving there or Evading combat there).

Notes & Tips

While having many Items may seem tempting, it will usually make it harder to complete the game (each Item makes you draw 1 card and cards are limited). Try to limit yourself to 1 or 2 Items per game.

Don't forget to Evade combat, especially on Red Alert. It can be a great way to cover a lot of ground (potentially moving 4 tiles with only 2 cards when moving on previously explored locations).

Beware of Nazis bearing gifts.

This covers the Basic Rules of Airborne in My Pocket. Once you are familiar with them, we suggest using the Advanced Rules, as they give more depth and variety to the game.

Advanced Rules

All the Basic Rules apply, except 3 things:

1. When Time Passes: instead of discarding the top 2 cards after you shuffle the Events, you only discard the top card.
2. To win the game, you need to end your turn on the Drop Zone (not the Bunker Door).
3. In addition to fulfilling your Primary Objective (sabotage the Guns), you must now fulfill a Secondary Objective (see below).

Red Alert will be declared once you have sabotaged the Guns, so it is a good idea to fulfill your Secondary Objective before. When on Red Alert, try to Evade combat: this will help you cover a lot of distance with relatively few cards (very useful when you must run back to the Drop Zone).

Secondary Objectives

At the start of the game, the first Event Card you resolve will tell you where your Secondary Objective is located. Set your "Secondary Objective" dial on your dial counter to the number of this card.

To fulfill a Secondary Objective, you must end your turn on that location and resolve an extra Event there (to see what happens while you are doing what needs to be done). If you survive and are still on that location, you are rewarded (see your Set Reference Book for details).

Special Operatives

With Special Operatives, you can be a variety of characters - each with its merits and flaws. To determine who you are, choose (or randomly draw) 1 of the Special Operatives cards included in your set.

Some Special Operatives have specific starting weapons. These replace the Colt Pistol and are considered Free Items that cannot be dropped or lost. If nothing is specified about a starting weapon, it means the Operative uses a Colt Pistol.

Scenarios

If you want to play a Scenario, use the Basic Rule of discarding the top 2 cards when Time Passes. Secondary Objectives, Special Operatives and Optional Rules are not compatible with Scenarios (except when noted): each Scenario comes with its own set of rules.

Many Scenarios have specific starting weapons. These replace the Colt Pistol (from the Basic Rules) and are considered Free Items that cannot be dropped or lost. See your Set Reference Book for details on the specific Scenarios included in your set.

Each Scenario also has a reference card. It is recommended that you always read the full Scenario description first, and then use the reference card as a reminder.

Optional Rules

Bunker Commanders

Every bunker has a commanding officer. And these German commanders all have their quirks and particularities, weaknesses and advantages.

You can use Bunker Commanders with any Basic or Advanced Game (but not with Scenarios). When you start a game, before resolving the first Event, shuffle all your Bunker Commander cards and draw 1 at random. This will determine who commands the bunker you are about to enter. Once the Bunker Commander is determined, he stays in play until the end of the game (leave the card in front of you as a reminder), and his special abilities cannot be ignored.

Most sets come with 2 Bunker Commander cards. See your Set Reference Book for more information on them.

Rules to Make the Game Easier

Full Health: You start with maximum Health (9 instead of 6).

Give Me a Minute!

• Basic Rules/Scenarios: You gain 1 extra hour per game, but instead of discarding the top 2 cards at the beginning of every hour, you discard the top 3 cards. This will give you, all in all, 4 more Event Cards per game.
• Advanced Rules: You gain 1 extra hour per game, but instead of discarding the top card at the beginning of every hour, you discard the top 2 cards. This will give you, all in all, 5 more Event Cards per game.

Australian Rules: You have no maximum Health: your Health can reach any number (over 9). But there is no limit to the Health you can lose in combat (you can lose more than 4).

Rules to Make the Game More Challenging

Achtung! If you Evade combat when inside, the alarm is sounded and you must finish your mission on Red Alert! You can also decide that the alarm is sounded the moment you Evade combat (outside or inside).

Bad Landing: You were injured when you landed. After Step 3 during Setup, cut the deck of Event Cards to see the gravity of your injury:

• If you draw a Red Event, you lose 3 Health;
• If you draw a Blue Event, you lose 2 Health;
• If you draw a Green Event, you lose 1 Health;
• If you draw a Black Event, it's only a flesh wound (no Health loss).

Adjust your Health dial to reflect this loss (if any), shuffle the deck of Event Cards and then begin playing the game.

Combat Fatigue: When Resting, you gain 2 Health (instead of 3).

Dangerous Blast: When you destroy the Guns, you must survive the explosion! Look at the extra Event you have just resolved to sabotage the Guns:

• If you draw a Red Event, you lose 3 Health;
• If you draw a Blue Event, you lose 2 Health;
• If you draw a Green Event, you lose 1 Health;
• If you draw a Black Event, you have found good cover and suffer no Health loss.

Limited Health: Your maximum Health is 6 (instead of 9).

Hidden Guns: Basic Rules only: When you shuffle the Inside locations at the beginning of the game, make sure you shuffle the Gun Platform in the bottom half of the pile.

Overachiever: Advanced Rules only: Add a 3rd Objective to your mission (treat as a 2nd Secondary Objective, decided on the 2nd Event you resolve).

Shelling: Once you sabotage the Guns, the Allied Navy zeroes in on the explosion and starts shelling the Bunker! On every Event you draw after destroying the Guns, note its number: the corresponding location is shelled (remove it from the game). If you are standing on a location that is being shelled, you are a victim of friendly fire. It is possible the shelling will make your escape impossible: in that case, you become a casualty of war. Note: in a multiplayer game, each Event from each player removes 1 location. When there are more than 1 location with the same number, players choose which one is shelled.

Time Is Money:

• Basic Rules/Scenarios: Instead of discarding the top 2 cards at the beginning of every hour, you discard the top 3 cards. This will take away 3 Event Cards per game.
• Advanced Rules: Instead of discarding the top card at the beginning of every hour, you discard the top 2 cards. This will take away 3 Event Cards per game.

You Can Run But You Can't Hide: You cannot Evade combat when on Red Alert. For masochists only.

Multiplayer Rules (2-4 players)

(For Basic and Advanced Rules)

Setup

Each player must have his own complete set of cards and locations. Each player must:

1. Separate their Drop Zone, Bunker Door and "Dead End" locations from their Outside locations. (Note, the "Dead End" location is named Supply Truck in the example, but each set has a differently named "Dead End" location.) Separate their Entrance and Gun Control locations from their Inside locations.
2. Remove the following locations from the game depending on the number of players:

Players	Tiles Removed
2	1 Dead End, 1 Gun Platform
3	2 Dead End, 1 Gun Platform
4	3 Dead End, 1 Gun Platform

Note: In all cases, only ONE player will have a "Dead End" location remaining.

Players must agree on which Entrance to use. It is recommended to use a 3-door Entrance for 2 player games, and a 4-door Entrance for 3-4 players. Unused Entrance locations are set aside.

Then each player shuffles their remining Outside locations into individual facedown piles and all Inside locations into one common facedown pile. 3. Then, players must place their Drop Zones back to back (2 players), so that they are not connected. For 3 players, 2 players are connected on one side, and for 4 players, 2 connected sets of Drop Zones are placed back-to-back (see the setup illustrations in the rulebook).

All the normal Basic and Advanced Rules are followed normally (facedown cards, Secondary Objectives, etc). The main difference is that the players must return to a Drop Zone (any one will do) even when playing with the Basic Rules.

If playing with Bunker Commanders, only 1 Bunker Commander must be drawn: he will affect all the players for the rest of the game.

Game Play

The players must "meet" by connecting together all the Drop Zones. This is vital to the mission, because they must enter the Bunker together!

Play is simultaneous. Every turn, players move and resolve Events normally (each player draws from his own Event deck and his own pile of Outside locations). They are allowed to move onto each other's locations. The objective is threefold: connect with the others, find the Ammo Dump and find the Bunker Door.

Only 1 player needs to find the Explosives in the Ammo Dump. Once that player has the Explosives, all players have them.

The Bunker must be entered by all the players at the same time. To achieve this, players will often have to wait for the others to join them. Once all the players are on one of the Bunker Doors, the Entrance can be placed. All the players must move on the Entrance at the same time (the other Bunker Doors are now considered "locked": they still function as Outside locations, but cannot be connected to Inside locations).

Once the players are Inside, they can stay together or split to explore the Bunker by themselves. All the Gun Platforms must be sabotaged (1 player needs to do it on every Gun Platform). Red Alert will be declared once the last Gun Platform is sabotaged. All players must be present in the Bunker in order to sabotage the guns (they need to keep a lookout for the others).

Once all the Gun Platforms are sabotaged, players must leave the Bunker and reach the Drop Zone of their choice. Once they are on a Drop Zone, they are considered "safe" (they no longer need to resolve Events every turn). Players do not have to reach the same Drop Zone as the others.

Combat

When 2 or more players are on the same location, they resolve their own Events as usual, but they fight together: add all the Encounters, add all the player's Power score, and resolve combat normally. The Health loss is divided between the players who fought, at their discretion (one player can decide to take all the damage if his brothers are too weak).

When added together, Encounters can offer a variety of enemy types at the same time: weapon modifiers against specific enemy types are triggered as long as that type is present in the Encounter. Pouches will only give Items to their respective player.

Evading

A player cannot Evade on a location that was just placed by another player. If 2 or more players are on the same location, and one player Evades, the other ones are left with the fighting.

When a player's Encounter says "You Can't Evade this Combat", he must fight, but the other players on the same location are still allowed to Evade.

Items

Players on the same location can trade Items between themselves, as long as they do not trade duplicates and follow all the normal Item rules.

Watches "Out of Sync"

Often, some players will reshuffle their Event cards before others (if they have Rested or searched for Items while the others have not, for example). This will cause them to be on a different time than their brothers (see Time Passes). This is normal and doesn't affect gameplay. The rough nature of frontline combat can have that effect on the soldiers' watches…

The game ends when any one player's watch reaches 1000 h (10:00 am).

Moving Through Air Ducts (3-4 players only)

The Bunker can get pretty big with 3 or 4 sets of Inside locations, which will result in a very "dense" area. Many doors will be blocked and movement will become frustrating.

Players who find themselves in a difficult spot can crawl through "Air Ducts" to pass through walls, allowing them to move to any adjacent Inside location even if it is not legally connected. Doing so costs 3 Health.

Secondary Objectives (Advanced Rules)

Since some players will remove their Location #1 from the game, it is possible one of them will draw Event #1 when determining his Secondary Objective. If this happens, ignore this result, and use the next Event's number instead.

Also, there will often be more than 1 Location with the same number in play. It will therefore be possible for players to accomplish their Secondary Objective on any Location with the same number. For example, if Location #7 is your Secondary Objective, you can fulfill your mission on any Location #7. To determine your reward (if any), always use the Set Reference Book corresponding to the Location where you accomplished your mission.

Scenarios

Unless otherwise noted, all multiplayer Scenarios must follow these multiplayer rules.